Steam ‘no show’ for Lincoln festive market specials

TWO separate steam-hauled railtours that were to take passengers to visit the popular Christmas market at Lincoln on December 3 both ended up being cancelled for different operating reasons.

The plug was pulled on Vintage Trains’ (VT) annual ‘Lyndum Christmas Fayre’ after Network Rail announced that ‘Castle’ 4-6-0 No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe was out of gauge for multiple platforms at Nottingham just a week before the train was to run.

Originally, the tour from Tyseley Warwick Road to Lincoln was to be hauled by Tyseley’s ‘Hall’ No. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall, but this was substituted for the ‘Castle’ after itself being declared out of gauge.

The decision over the ‘Castle’ came as quite a surprise as No. 5043 worked over the route last December, without any gauging issues at all.

Read more in January’s issue of The RM

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